Spinning off other recent posts about style resolutions for 2019, here is my very rough list of what worked and what didn’t in my closet/shopping this year:

Yes to organic patterns/ no to stripes. I’m just...so...over the striped Breton top (she says, looking down to realize she is wearing one. They are inescapable!)

Yes to low contrast patterns/ no to high contrast. If I do wear black and white print, for example, it seems to work best in a tiny print that helps it to appear lower-contrast.

Yes to patterns/ Color, texture, and shine are less important. (But I have added a lot of metallics to my wardrobe this year.)

Yes to “outfit of statements”/ no to wearing too many neutral basics at one time. My old default outfits of navy tee, blue jeans, boring boots just feel awful to me now. I need the crazy.

Pursue silhouette variety when shoppping- in a varied closet like mine, it is necessary to make outfits work. Crop tops, long tops, high-necks, etc.

Yes to boots or sandals. Don’t buy more ankle baring shoes. I find them much harder to wear/style.

Yes to sharp shoes and outerwear. Pointy toes and pointy shoulders really work for me. Nothing makes me feel more blaaaahhh than a shapeless shoe or a rumpled, lumpy jacket.

And on that note: If something is too casual, use it as an under- or midlayer. For example, I have a soft pink denim jacket that I now use as a shirt, with a cool vest layered over it. Problem solved.

I intentionally shopped a LOT this year for various reasons, and this period of spending is coming to a close with the end of the year. I have no doubt that I wasted some money in there somewhere—duplicating unnecessarily, or overbuying in certain categories, or overinvesting in a trend before I know whether I really like it. But I’m ok with it- it was a purposeful exercise. I felt that it was time to get my act together in terms of my appearance. A lot of experimentation was necessary, and I’m happy with the results so far.

Happy new year to all!